Immersive Planning of Events Including Vacations

Abstract

The subject disclosure is directed towards a web service or the like that assists users in generating a plan, such as a vacation plan. In one aspect, a user chooses a model that generates a plan, including by selecting content objects (e.g., found by searching) corresponding to plan objects. Selection is based upon user input, along with rules, constraints and/or equations associated with the model. A presentation mechanism produces a presentation (e.g., an audiovisual experience) from the content/plan objects, such as a linear narrative, a timeline, a schedule, a calendar, a gallery, a list, and/or a map. The plan may be annotated with annotation data. The plan may be interacted with to re-plan it, and may be saved and/or provided to another user for viewing and/or re-planning. Plan versions may be compared to see the changes made.

1 . In a computing environment, a system, comprising:
 a model configured to generate a plan, including by being configured to select and substitute content objects for plan objects based upon user input and rules, constraints or equations, or any combination of rules, constraints or equations, associated with the model, and   a presentation mechanism configured to produce a presentation based upon the plan objects.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the plan corresponds to an event, excursion or activity, and wherein the user input includes a budget parameter. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a search mechanism configured to provide the content objects to the model based on a set of one or more searches, including at least one search specified by the model. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the presentation mechanism comprises a content synthesizer configured to process at least two of the plan objects into a linear narrative 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising an interaction mechanism configured to allow one or more changes to the plan objects or content objects, or both the plan objects and the content objects, the presentation mechanism configured to reproduce the presentation based upon the one or more changes into a modified presentation. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising an interaction mechanism configured to allow one or more changes to the input information, the model configured to regenerate a revised plan based upon the one or more changes. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the presentation mechanism outputs a timeline, a schedule or a calendar, or any combination of a timeline, a schedule or a calendar to present data corresponding to at least part of the plan or the plan objects, or at least part of both the plan and the plan objects. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the presentation mechanism outputs a gallery, a list, or a map, or any combination of gallery, a list, or a map to present data corresponding to at least part of the plan or the plan objects, or at least part of both the plan and the plan objects. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a mechanism configured to re-plan a plan into a revised plan, and a mechanism configured to compare the plan to the revised plan. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a mechanism configured to annotate the plan. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a mechanism configured to share the plan with another user, and to receive a revised plan from the other user. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a mechanism configured to compare the plan to the revised plan from the other user. 
     
     
         13 . In a computing environment, a method performed at least in part on at least one processor, comprising:
 searching for content objects corresponding to a model;   generating a plan from the content objects, including selecting content objects for plan objects based upon user input, and rules, constraints or equations, or any combination of rules, constraints or equations, associated with the model;   producing a presentation of the plan, including outputting data corresponding to the plan objects to a user;   detecting user interaction with the content objects or plan objects, or both the content objects and plan objects, and in response, producing a revised presentation of the plan, including outputting data corresponding to the revised plan; and   detecting user interaction that changes the user input, and in response, generating a new plan, and producing a new presentation corresponding to the new plan, including outputting data corresponding to the new plan.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein producing the presentation of the plan comprises synthesizing at least some of the content objects into a linear narrative. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein producing the presentation of the plan comprises outputting a timeline, a schedule, a calendar, a list, a gallery or a map comprising data, or any combination of a timeline, a schedule, a calendar, a list, a gallery or a map comprising data corresponding to at least some of the plan objects. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising, maintaining data with the plan, the data corresponding to one or more user annotations. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising, comparing the revised plan with the plan, comparing the new plan with the plan or comparing the revised plan with the new plan. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising, sharing the plan for interaction by another user with the plan objects, content objects or input data, or any combination of the plan objects, the content objects and the input data. 
     
     
         19 . One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform steps, comprising,
 interacting with a user to assist the user in choosing a model and inputting parameters for that model;   generating a plan based upon the model and the parameters, including obtaining search content corresponding to plan objects;   outputting a presentation of the plan including a viewable representation of at least part of the content objects;   detecting interaction that changes the plan, one or more of the plan objects, or one or more of the content objects, or any combination of the plan, one or more of the plan objects, or one or more of the content objects; and   outputting a modified presentation of the plan based on the interaction.   
     
     
         20 . The one or more computer-readable media of  claim 19  having further computer-executable instructions comprising, annotating the plan with annotation data received from a user, and saving the plan and the annotation data in association with the plan.